Chapter Twenty-One
Edmund returned home to find a sharply worded summons from Mr. Trevor.
It was the third he’d received from the solicitor after the first half of the funds necessary to pay his debt had been delivered.
He’d hoped the money would end the matter between them and absolve him of his prior misguided agreement, but it seemed the man’s client was holding to their declaration of not accepting payment in coin.
Was that even legal?
Unfortunately, he had no intention of answering another summons from the man. Soon enough, the rest of the money would be properly acquired from the estate’s various holdings and his debt would be paid in full.
After catching some much-needed sleep, he had a few commitments throughout the day and in the evening, yet another ball designed to match desperate debutantes with eligible bachelors.
He was neither a debutante nor eligible.
And Lady Lydia was neither a bachelor nor desperate. But she’d be there and so would he.
His excitement over the thought of seeing the lady again was a shock. Considering he’d just left her bed that morning, he should’ve been somewhat sated.
He wasn’t.
Every time he thought of her that day, his desire tripled.
He arrived at the ball—as early as he could without appearing ludicrously eager for an event he should abhor—in a state of anticipation so delicate, he wondered if he might be falling ill.
After wandering the ballroom three times over in search of her, Edmund took up a position at some distance from the dance floor, but close to the main entrance so he would hear her being announced.
It occurred to him that he was behaving like a lovelorn pup. And though he tried to argue with himself in justification of his actions, he finally admitted ruefully that he enjoyed the lady’s company. More than he’d enjoyed anything in a long time.
And what in hell was so wrong with that?
It certainly didn’t mean anything more than the fact that he took pleasure in their conversations. And her keen stare and astute mind. And her rare, reluctant amusement.
There was also, of course, the hope that he might steal her away from the crowd to show her how exciting it could be to engage in a little risky behavior.
She arrived more than an hour after him, accompanied by her mother, the Marchioness of Loxmarch, and another young lady he knew to be her cousin, Miss Martindale. It would be difficult to get her alone.
Then again…she’d proven herself rather skilled at escaping her chaperone.
A secret smile hovered on his lips as he skirted the crowd at a casual pace. He didn’t want anyone to suspect he was only there to satisfy his desire for one specific woman. So, he offered nods and glances and the occasional roguish twist of his lips.
It took another twenty minutes or so before he circled around to where she stood between the wallflowers and the matrons, her back against the wall, her gaze drifting over the crowd with a detached air. Her gaze fell on him for just a moment before she quickly forced it along.
His entire being ignited. A tingling tightness squeezed his chest, and his stomach swirled with hunger. He needed more than a passing glance. He wanted her focused attention. Her touch. Her kiss.
Damn.
He was so focused on Lady Lydia it took him a moment to realize the woman standing beside her was glaring at him with an intensely irritable expression.
He’d heard a few comments about the Marchioness of Loxmarch.
Formidable was a word often spoken. Terse.
Ambitious. Snobbish was also frequently used.
He quickly turned away and stepped out of view, hoping the marchioness hadn’t noted just how intent his attention had been upon her daughter. He’d have to be very careful about plotting his next interlude with Lady Lydia.
Ultimately, she beat him to it.
Less than ten minutes later, his stroll through the ballroom happened to take him past Miss Bridget Martindale.
The young lady was surrounded by a bevy of admirers yet somehow managed to return Edmund’s passing glance and a saucy wink before flicking her gaze to the nearby terrace doors, currently open to the balcony that ran the length of the ballroom.
He’d received countless silent invitations from a wide array of women since entering society. Requests for participation in an illicit rendezvous.
This didn’t feel like that.
But it did pique his curiosity as he suspected she was acting on her cousin’s behalf. When he altered his direction toward the balcony, Miss Martindale returned her full attention to her circle of admirers.
The balcony was narrow and dark. While some balls boasted illuminated terraces and gardens to extend the party outdoors on warm evenings, it was clear that their hosts tonight hadn’t intended the same.
To be fair, it was a chilly night and the cool air drawing into the ballroom through the open doors appeared to be enough to keep the dancers from overheating.
After glancing both directions and finding the balcony empty, Edmund stepped up to the smooth, stone railing. He’d assumed by Miss Martindale’s gesture that Lady Lydia was out here already, but he could wait. He hadn’t come here tonight for the dancing.
Resting his elbows on the banister, he bent forward and gazed out at the garden below; dark and mysterious. Was she down there, watching him from the night’s shadows?
A smile curved his mouth. He wouldn’t be surprised. The woman was unpredictable, as she’d proven to him many times over already in their short acquaintance.
Anticipation ignited along every nerve as he considered what he’d do to her when she escaped to join him. Kiss her, obviously. But where?
Her satin lips?
The pulse at the side of her throat? He loved to feel it flutter against his tongue.
Or should he take up her hand like a gentleman? Press a chaste kiss to her knuckles…or her warm palm?
Fire danced through his blood and his breeches tightened.
If he could, he’d flip her skirts to her waist and kiss her—
“My Lord Darlington, why are you all alone out here?”
A soft, pearlescent voice intruded on his thoughts and plans—a voice he recognized.
Lady Georgiana Buxton. A young widow he’d dallied with a couple of times in the last few years.
He initially thought her rather sweet and guileless.
In truth, her demands in the bedroom were sharp and selfish.
It had been enjoyable the first time. A novelty, perhaps.
But after the second, he’d realized they were not so compatible.
He thought he’d made it clear the last time she’d propositioned him, yet, as he turned around to face her, he recognized the lustful gleam in her soft gaze.
The desire that had burgeoned in his breeches as he’d thought of Lady Lydia quickly deflated.
Still, he smiled and offered a respectful bow of his head. “My lady.”
Though his manner and tone were pleasant and relaxed, every sense was scanning for any indication of Lydia’s arrival. If she were to see him with Lady Buxton, it would be very easy for her to reach an incorrect assumption about the situation.
His gaze darted toward the terrace doors as the lady slowly approached with a smile. Any casual observer might see a hesitant young woman, just a bit shy. That’s what she wanted people to see. In truth, she was far more sophisticated than she let on—a predator in her own right.
Edmund didn’t take much pleasure in being her prey.
Tension trickled through him as he considered various ways to reject the lady’s advance and see her back into the ballroom. But the balcony wasn’t very wide, and it took no time at all before she stood in front of him, her hands raising to his chest as she looked up at him.
“I must say,” she murmured sweetly, “I’m surprised to find you alone. That’s not like you.”
“Solitude is good for the soul.”
The lady laughed as if he’d told some devilish joke. Her next words dropped to a dark whisper. “You no more have a soul than I do, Darlington.”
Taking the lady by her shoulders, he gently but forcefully moved her back a step. “I know I made it clear the last time we spoke that I won’t be sharing your bed again.”
She tilted her head and pushed her lip out in a pout. “But you don’t mean that. You can’t convince me we didn’t have some fabulous fun together. My friends and I still talk about it,” she added in a thick voice as she slipped her hand down to cup his groin aggressively.
Edmund grunted in surprise as his eyes narrowed.
“I know you want me.” The lady’s voice turned sultry as she resisted his grip on her shoulders and leaned into him. Her fingers danced over his length in an obvious attempt to awaken his desire.
He stood still and unmoved as her efforts failed, which she soon realized.
As her heavy-lidded gaze flickered, Edmund reached down to grasp her wrist and lift her hand away from him. “Not happening,” he said simply, a tight smile on his lips.
Her desirous expression shifted from pouty to a shocked rage. “You can’t possibly—”
“Must I say this more plainly, my lady?” he interrupted.
With a lift of her chin, she took a step back from him. Her nod was stiff. “Not at all. It seems I misunderstood the issue.” She wasted no more time turning and fleeing.
Edmund sighed as the lady disappeared back into the lighted ballroom.
At least he managed to end the interaction before Lydia stepped out. He did not want to think of having to explain such a scene to her.
“Well, that was interesting. Rather educational.”
Hearing her voice but not seeing her, Edmund whipped his gaze to the shadows alongside the house as her dark figure slowly materialized at the edge of some unseen alcove.
He closed his eyes and muttered beneath his breath, “Fuck,” as his stomach clenched with dread.
“Indeed,” Lady Lydia replied quietly. “I’d say she was quite clear on what she wanted.”
Edmund opened his eyes to see that she remained mostly in shadow—a part of the darkness. Her posture was poised, her expression almost serene, but he swore he heard a hint of humor in her voice.
He tilted his head. “You’re not angry with me?”
Her eyebrows arched. “Should I be?” she asked.
“Did you ask the lady to follow you? Did you indicate to her that you would be receptive to her advances?” She didn’t give him an opportunity to answer as she waved her hand dismissively.
“From what I heard, you’ve tried to dissuade her interest in the past. I can hardly fault you for someone else’s behaviors.
And…” She glanced toward the light spilling onto the balcony from the ballroom, before bringing her focus back to him. “She’s gone now.”
He took a step toward her before he could think better of it. “But you’re still here,” he said. Tension made his voice lower than he intended, lower and more textured. More suggestive.
Her eyes flickered. “I am.”
“Why?” he asked, continuing toward her and the darkened alcove behind her.
Her chin lifted and her gaze narrowed. Pressing her lips together, she met his gaze and gave a gentle snort. “Must you make me say it?”
Edmund laughed. “No, I think your intentions are clear enough.”
Her brows lifted again with subtle prideful affront. “Now, I feel like the lady who just left.”
He slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her roughly against him. “Not even close.” Then he lowered his mouth to hers.
She parted her lips to receive his kiss as she lifted her hands to his shoulders.
He carefully walked her back into the further reaches of the darkened hollow created between two parts of the house. Not stopping until her back came up against a vine-covered wall.
Edmund glanced back to note that they were completely obscured from anyone who might step onto the balcony.
“How do you know all the best places to hide?” he asked as he ducked his head to press a kiss to the silken spot below her ear.
Her head fell back as she replied in a husky whisper, “Practice. Sometimes, I feel like I’ve been hiding all my life.”
The note of remorse in her voice twisted through him. He was determined to banish it.
A nip at her earlobe with his teeth brought a swift gasp that lifted her breasts.
Trailing his lips down the slope of her neck and across her collarbone, he brought his free hand up along her ribcage to brace beneath her breast. As his thumb brushed over her hardening nipple through the thin fabric of her gown, he suckled the soft mound of her upper breast.
Her moan was low and quiet. She arched her spine, lifting herself to him as she curled her fingers into the material of his coat.
Lifting his head, he gazed into her heavy-lidded eyes. “What if I made hiding more fun?”
Her breath was swift through her parted lips. “That’s why I’m here.”
“I thought you preferred knowledge over fun,” he teased, covering her breast now with his full hand, circling his palm over the peak.
Her response was breathy but still somehow managed to retain a bit of stern condescension. “Knowledge is fun.”
“Yes, it is,” he growled as he finally curled his fingers over the top edge of her bodice and tugged it down to free her breast. He immediately took her into his mouth, swirling his tongue on lush strokes and drawing her deep.
When he felt her legs shift as one lifted along his outer thigh, he growled his satisfaction.
“How far are you willing to go?” he murmured.
How much do you trust me? The second was a silent question he kept to himself.
“Depends on the lesson,” she breathed.
“Tonight is about risk.” He suddenly grasped a handful of her skirts and tossed them up to her waist, baring her legs.
Thank God she followed fashion and wore no underclothes beneath her evening gown.
Slipping his hand between her warm thighs, he curved his fingers around her soft flesh, just below her sultry core. “And reward.”
Her head rested back against the ivy-covered wall behind her and her gaze glittered gently in the darkness. He saw desire in their depths. And curiosity. And daring.
“What reward?” she whispered.
It was a challenge.
He accepted.
The second his fingertips slid along her wet, hot folds, she tensed like a bowstring and a soft moan slipped through her throat. He caught it with his lips before sliding his mouth to her ear.
“Shh,” he whispered. “Careful, luv. We must not be discovered. Such would cause a scandal of dire consequence. Understand?”
Instead of replying, she turned her head and captured his lips with hers. Her tongue lashed inside his mouth, fiery and demanding. Telling him she knew the danger and accepted—No! She embraced it.
Then she rocked her hips, demanding more of his touch along her slick flesh.
Lust shot through him like a bullet, angling from the center of his chest to his aching groin. His stomach clenched. His cock pulsed and hardened. And as she sucked on his tongue, for a second, his heart completely stopped.